web2lrf for reading the NYT was a major pain. Tool works, but is nowhere near release quality. It's just a developer's raw tool at this point. Even on my dual-core system took a while converting it and the results were less than perfect. I played with it a while, but the results where not ideal.

It does take a while, but since that's computer time, why do you care? And what do you mean when you say the results were less than ideal?

There is no work required, you just have to connect the reader to your computer, click a button and wait about 10mins. If you have a little bit of scripting skill, you can make even that automatic.

Well, this is a very gool computer geek solution, but there's a heck of a lot of difference between turn on computer, connect reader, launch software, wait 10 minutes, disconnect reader, begin reading newspaper (especially if you throw in "a little bit of scripting skill") and just turning on the reader and starting to read.

One of those might appeal to hundreds of users, the other perhaps millions.

web2lrf for reading the NYT was a major pain. Tool works, but is nowhere near release quality. It's just a developer's raw tool at this point. Even on my dual-core system took a while converting it and the results were less than perfect. I played with it a while, but the results where not ideal.

I am getting my Kindle today, to replace my Sony Reader, for that one simple key feature: automated delivery of my newspapers. I would have been ok if I had to sync my Sony Reader every morning if Sony had bothered to fulfill their promise of newspapers, but they never did.

I signed up for Time too. May do the Washington post. I will report how it goes.

RFlash,

I'm seriously considering the Kindle, in large part because of being able to read the Washington Post on a crowded Metro train. I'm am VERY curious to know how your newspaper reading experience goes on the Kindle. Good to meet a fellow newspaper junkie on here...and good to know newspaper readers may finally have an ebook reader that allows for convenient digital content.

Well, this is a very gool computer geek solution, but there's a heck of a lot of difference between turn on computer, connect reader, launch software, wait 10 minutes, disconnect reader, begin reading newspaper (especially if you throw in "a little bit of scripting skill") and just turning on the reader and starting to read.

One of those might appeal to hundreds of users, the other perhaps millions.

Z.

Hey it's a value judgement, if you find doing that is worth $10 or whatever amazon charges you, that's your call. But, I for one am tired of people being afraid of computers. I mean come one, switching on a computer, connecting a reader, launching an app and clicking a button, really isn't that hard.

And the "little bit of scripting skill" is only needed if you want to automate launching the app and clicking the button when the reader is connected.

I'm seriously considering the Kindle, in large part because of being able to read the Washington Post on a crowded Metro train. I'm am VERY curious to know how your newspaper reading experience goes on the Kindle. Good to meet a fellow newspaper junkie on here...and good to know newspaper readers may finally have an ebook reader that allows for convenient digital content.

Jeff

Well, so far this is my newspaper experience:

New York Times
I was expecting something closer to their PDF version they send hotels, but instead it is a cleaned up version of their RSS newspaper with full articles, a decent table of contents, and a pretty good summary front page. Navigation is a little weak (can't skip to the 'next' article when inside of an article, only at the beginning or end), and I miss not having an overview of the home page like the Reader or even my BlackBerry can show. This could be fixed with a custom formatted home page. One picture is included per major article, so not too bad in imagery, but could do better. Overall, 7 out of 10.

TIME
This is just a copy of their RSS feed with no formatting enhancements. There is a functional TOC, but other than their logo, there are NO PICTURES and no other images (charts, etc.). Some articles are frustrating enough to include a disclaimer that says the article includes images and charts so you should go get a PDF or print version. What is funny is that the MOBILE version of TIME does include images, however uselessly small. Overall, 4 out of 10.

Mobile News Sites
These work better than expected, as long as you go to the mobile version of the various news sites. Think I am going to put together a web portal with all of these. But could use some custom formatting when Amazon releases (or people figure out) the specs for custom Kindle web page design. Overall, 6 out of 10. Amazon runs the risk here that unless they can get their news partners to better format their Kindle versions, we will all flock to wireless mobile news sites driving up their Whispernet costs through the roof.

Wireless Download
WOW! It's amazingly fast (NYT in under 10 seconds), automatic, and already 24 hours later I am taking it for granted. What the BlackBerry does for email, this does for news. If we only had custom formatted newspapers (maybe with time the various papers will see the benefit to that), this will be perfect. Overall, 9 out of 10.

Hey it's a value judgment, if you find doing that is worth $10 or whatever amazon charges you, that's your call. But, I for one am tired of people being afraid of computers. I mean come one, switching on a computer, connecting a reader, launching an app and clicking a button, really isn't that hard.

And the "little bit of scripting skill" is only needed if you want to automate launching the app and clicking the button when the reader is connected.

It is a value judgment. Consider the New York Times.

Once upon a time I had a physical subscription ($$$$). Then I went to their electronic FAT CLIENT ($$$). Then to their Flash based electronic client ($$$). Then to their XP/Vista Reader ($$).

More recently with the Sony Reader, I seriously considered signing up for their PDF email version ($$$), then converting it to the reader. But it was not practical time/effort wise. If Sony had offered the NYT through their portal and all I had to do was a plug/sync every morning, that would be fine.

Now with the Kindle I have signed up for the auto-delivery version ($$) which is delivered automatically. Formatting sucks (I really wish the team that produces the Reader version or Electronic Edition was creating the Kindle edition... not their web/RSS team), but at least I get it automatically, conveniently. I can only hope they will work to improve its look.

Yes, I can read for free on the web, but I honestly don't have that much free time in the morning to read on a web browser. That's why I got an electronic reader. And I am willing to pay for that.

If some day someone finally gets me the NYT Electronic Edition on a reader, I'll gladly pay for that too.